Reflecting Souls
reflecting souls By Foxstep BLURB A young she-cat is the mistake of two young lovers. Her Clan cat parents abandoned her as they moved on to different mates, leaving her to the darkness of the Twolegplace. Enter the story of a broken she-cat as she meets a soul reflecting her own. ONE It's all too easy to remember the times when Mother sang songs to me, as I closed my eyes, leaning against her body for warmth. Now it is empty coldness. I remember wailing, crying, begging her not to leave me as she chose her new mate and kits. I was just the result of an apprentice pregnancy, a mistake. Now Mother is happier than she was with the burden of me. She's found her real family; I should be happy for her. All I'm left with is coldness in the stone I call a nest. I growl softly and turn over uncomfortably. A new day will come soon. A new day promising hope fused with bitterness. There are always new customers in leaf-bare. I sigh and close my eyes, well aware I'm sick as I feel a burning sensation in my eyes as they close. Time to go back to dreaming dreams never to be real. * * * A warrior would go to their so-called 'medicine cat' to see what mouse-dunged disease they caught. Though I am not a warrior, I have Clan blood. My mother is a Clan cat, she gave up Clan life to raise me. Only to abandon me to be a warrior again 6 moons later. That cat never had much loyalty. Anyhow, I should probably see that new medic in this old beat-up alley. Someone must have such a kind heart to want to heal a measly, infected gang of poor cats. The medic will probably be gone at the start of new-leaf. I pad across this alley I call home. Neighbors nod greetings to me, well aware I was sick as I stroll across the ThunderPath to get to the Healer's den. A light cream she-cat is pacing there, looking like she is waiting for someone. Her dull gray eyes brighten as she sees me. "Amaranthine!" "Cleopatra." "Oh, you look very sick! Is it a cold? Well of course it's a cold!" The tiny kittypet is talking over herself, her words coming out rushed and short. "Hope you're fine! I got a small bout of coughs a week ago. It's gone now, no worries!" Because you marvelous twolegs to drag you out of every petty problem you have. I keep that last thought to myself. "Oh. That's good," I step gingerly around the kittypet. "I'd better be going. See you around?" "Yeah!" Cleopatra trills, then falls silent as she continues pacing. I walk on ahead to a den made of wormwood. Spices of foreign herbs hit my nose and I release a tortured cough. A small snowy-white head pops out. Female. "You might have some white-cough there," She says sweetly. "Come in." It's sounds like a question but is all the same an order. I step inside, ducking my head so I don't knock down the fragile den. The white she-cat is sorting through some leaves. "Sit right there." She flicks her tail to a small mossy covering, not even looking back. I obey and begin to smoothen my brown tabby paw. The she-cat turns. "Right, introductions. If you haven't heard already, my name is Alyssum." Another flower name like mine. "I was taught by my uncle how to make poultices to make remedies. I used to work in White Hart but that old place got torn down and....," Her voice hitched. "My uncle decided to go the life of a kittypet. Not me. I wanted to help others, not myself. So I searched for work for moons and an old friend finally suggested this place, Bayburn." I nod and she steps back, flicking her tail at me. "I'm Amaranthine and I was born a few ThunderPaths down from here. At 6 moons, I went looking for a place to live and found this place." I pause. "I also started a shop later on." "What do you sell?" Alyssum asks with genuine curiosity. "Chestnuts," I say. "Good luck." "I see," Alyssum turns back to her poultice. "I have seen many superstitious cats around here." I nod and she turns back a moment later and inspects my fur, eyes, even tongue. "Hmm," She squints her eyes. "It seems you've definitely caught something." After a few minutes of mixing mire herbs, she turns to me with a leaf sack in her paws. "Sorry to say you have whitecough. Please take these herbs twice a day, day and night." TWO I actually feel a little better today. After a week of medication of some weed and berries, my cold is mostly gone - mostly. Which means I can get back to my shop. "How much are 4 large chestnuts?" "Can I place an order for 30 small chestnuts?" I've begun to realize that selling only some "good luck" nuts isn't going to be enough for a living. The leader of the Bayburn loners, rogues, and kittypets require us to work to stay here. Except kittypets, whose owners own their property and we can't really oust twolegs. So loners and rogues who have too much pride to be fed and caressed by animals have to work. And I'm not at the point of giving up yet. Because there aren't enough chestnuts in the world to satisfy these poor cats' orders, I need to find a distracting item for me to have enough time to get more chestnuts. Not for the first time, I wonder what a Clan cat would do. Move away, become a kittypet, or...or... I shake out my fur in frustration and stare at the glaring sun ahead, failing to see the customer walking up to the birch bark counter. He's a young pale gray tom, can't be more than 4 moons. What is a kit doing here? He pauses and looks up at me with wide, innocent amber eyes. "Did your parents send you?" I ask. The kit doesn't say anything but stares hungrily at the products. I clear my throat, then hesitate. After a while, the kit looks up. "How much are the leaves?" "Leaves?" I can't hide my surprise. The kit nods at the mint leaves scattered around the counter for decoration. "I..." Why would this kit want the leaves? Some type of cure for some rat-brained disease? I inhale sharply, then collect a bunch of leaves. "How much?" The kit hesitates. "Five, please." Only five? I frown slightly, then tie 5 droopy mint leaves with two blades of grass, then pass it to the kit. He puts a small object next to my paw; he leaves with the herb, wordlessly. I stare at the little object closely. It looks like a narrow moss covering cats use to soak water and drink from. Though the substance is hard as rock and smooth and cold as water. Maybe this is some twoleg object; I'll ask Cleopatra later on. Wait. How many more cats want mint leaves, like this young kit wanted? Well, it was only a kit...but he was probably sent by his family. Could be worth the risk. A grabbed a bunch of leaves that seemed proper to sell and placed them on the counter. As the day goes on, I get a few more customers to which I explained the new item. Many cats actually bough it, probably because of its strong, sharp, sweet scent. Others wrinkled their noses in disgust and confusion, wondering why I'd sell nasty, dirty plants, and settled for the chestnuts. Either way, I earned many bits of prey, nice ornaments, and whatever cats these days have to offer. But as I sleep inside my stone den, right before I drift off to sleep, I cannot help wondering who that little kit was. THREE Category:Foxstep's Fanfictions